Following receipt of a Ph.D. in History from Stanford University (1928), Richard Van
Alstyne (1900-1983) taught for seventeen years at Chico State University. In 1945 he
joined the faculty of the University of Southern California, where he taught for twenty
more years. After a year-long fellowship at the Huntington Library, Van Alstyne came to
the University of the Pacific as Distinguished Professor of History, a post he held until
his death. Long recognized as a leading scholar in the field of American Diplomatic
History, Van Alstyne also maintained a keen interest in the development of American
Nationalism. His principal works include: "American Diplomacy in Action" (1944);
"American Crisis Diplomacy" (1952); "The Rising American Empire" (1960); "Empire and
Independence" (1965); and, "The Genesis of American Nationalism" (1970).